Pie trimmer and marker.



No. 684,709. Patented Oct. I5, mm. .s. NICKEL.

PIE TRIMMER AND MARKER.

(Applicatiun filed Apr. 80, 1901.)

I (No ModaL) iTED TATES FFICE,

PIE TRIMMER AND MARKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,709, dated October 1 5, 19 01. Application filed April 30, 1901. Serial No. 58,230. (No model.)

To etZZ whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOSEPH NICKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 5329 Butler street, Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pie Trimmers and Markers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to culinary articles, and has for its object to provide an improved device which is adapted for trimming the marginal edge of the upper and lower crusts of pics and also to perforate such top crust simultaneously with the trimming thereof. It is furthermore designed to arrange for having the perforations in the crust represent a letter or mark to designate the character of the contents of the pie and to provide for interchangeably connecting a plurality of different perforators for convenience in marking different kinds of pics.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present device. Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof applied for trimming and marking or perforating a pie. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective'view of one of the detachable perforators and markers.

Like characters of reference designate cor-- responding parts in all of the figures of the drawings. 1

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a fiat top or body 1, which may be circular, as shown in the drawings, or of suitable shape to correspond with the differ ent shapes of pie-pans, and having a pendent outwardly-flared marginal flange 2, the lower edge of which may be provided with an external head 3 to stiffen and strengthen the device. A marginal series of perforations 4 are formed in the flange, adjacent to the upper end thereof. For the convenient manipulation of the device there is provided an arcuate or bridge-like handle 5, fixed to the upper side of the top of the device.

In using the device to trim the marginal edge of the pie, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be understood that the upper crust 6 projects outwardly beyond the marginal edge of the pie-plate 7 when the crust is first applied thereto, and by forcing the trimmer down upon the plate the inner side of the outwardlyfiared flange or rim 2 will press downwardly against the projected portion of the crust and pinch the latter between the edge of the pie-plate and the flange, thereby severing the projected surplus crust, which drops to the table, as indicated at 8, whereby the crust is quickly trimmed by a single operation of the trimmer in much less time than by the ordinary method of using a knife.

For perforating and marking the crust there is provided a flat plate 9, from the under face of which depends a plurality of spurs or prongs 10, arranged in the form of a letter-as, for instance, the letter A-as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Upon the center of the top of the plate there is provided a fixed substantially T-shaped key 11, that is designed to be passed through a corresponding slot 12, formed centrally and diametrically through the top of the trimmer, after which the perforator is turned so as to bring the head of the key transversely across the slot, as best indicated in Fig. 1, whereby the perforator is detachably secured within the marginal rim of the trimmer with the outer pointed ends of the prongs slightly above the lower edge of the trimmer, so that when the device is applied to a pie the ends of the prongs will perforate the upper crust only to permit of the escape of steam during the cooking of the pie and also to mark the upper crust with a suitable character to indicate the kind of pie.

The advantage of an outwardly-flared trimming-rim is that it will fit plates which vary slightly in size, and it does not require much care in applying the trimmer to a pie, as the diameter of the lower edge of the rim is greater than that of an ordinary pie-pan, and therefore will necessarily embrace the plate, the trimmer being forced downwardly until it binds upon the edge of the plate and the crust is trimmed.

It will be observed that the inner sides of the inwardly-convergent walls of the marginal trimming-flange form frictional surfaces to pinch the crust between the edge of the plate and said surfaces, so that by continued pressure the edge portions of the crust are simultaneously severed from the body portion in one operation of the device.

What is claimed is- 1. A hand-operated device for trimming pie crusts, having a pendent outwardlyflared marginal trimming-flange, the inner inwardly-con vergent sides of which form frictional surfaces to embrace a pie-plate and pinch the crust between the edge thereof and said surface, whereby to sever the edge portion from the body of the crust. 7

2. A pie-crust trimmer and marker, com- 20 prising a body, having a pendent marginal outwardly-flared trimming-rim, there being perforations formed in the rim and a central diametric slot in the body, a handle arched over the slot, and a perforating and marking 25 7 device provided with a plurality of pointed prongs arranged to form a distinguishable character, and also having a T-shaped key passed through the slot of the body and turned transversely across the slot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH NICKEL.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. STUDENY, C. J. HOFFMANN. 

